Mechanical movement



J. J. P. cEuLEMA s MECHANICAL MOVEMENT May 4, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13, 1951 PINVENTOR.

MM MM yogflwflh 45mm,

May 4, 1954 J. J. P. CEULEMANS MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 15, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IgVENTOR.

MM MW BY m l May 4, 1954 J. .1. P. CEULEMANS 2,677,230

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 13, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

WA MM [Mb/11W BY MAW Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Joannes Josephus Paulus Ceulemans, Antwerp, Belgium 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a machine having cylinders, pistons, and transmission means, said machine comprising at least four cylinders th axes of which are substantially parallel and the heads of which are substantially at the same height on these axes, in each of which cylinders a piston performs a reciprocating movement, each of these pistons being connected to one end of a connecting rod, these connecting rods connecting these pistons to a same crankshaft which performs a rotational movement when the pistons perform the aforesaid reciproeating movement.

The aforesaid machine may, for example, constitute an engine or a compressor; it may comprise four cylinders, or a plurality of groups of four cylinders.

The invention has essentially the object of increasing the efi'iciency of machines of this type, that is of engines and compressors.

To this end, there are provided at least two bent levers located on either side of the cylinders and having their fulcra, which are located in the bends proper, fixed in relation to said cylinders, the end of one of the arms of each of the levers being hinged to one end of a connecting rod, said arm being directed towards the cylinders and occupying a position substantially perpendicular to th axes of the cylinders when the piston, connected to one end of said connecting rod, is halfway in its stroke in the cylinder, the end of the other arm being connected to a crank-pin of the aforesaid crankshaft through the medium of at least one member which is fixed by a hinge to said end.

In one advantageou embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises a member which is hinged to the arms of the bent levers, the ends of which arms are connected to the aforesaid crankpin.

In a preferred embodiment, the machine comprises four cylinders situated symmetrically in relation to the aforesaid crank-pin and to the arms of the levers connected to said crank-pin.

Other details and features of the invention will be clear from the description, given hereinbelow by way of non-limitative example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a machine having cylinders, pistons, and transmission means according to the present invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic view in section of the device or machine according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in section along the plane II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section along the plane IIIIII of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view in section along the plane IV-IV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1, the pistons being nevertheless in a difierent position.

In the diiierent figures, like elements are designated by like references.

Th devic or machine comprises four cylinders, I, 2, 3, and 4. The cylinders l and 2 are located on one side and the cylinders 3 and 4 are located on the other side of a plane 5 perpendicular to the axis 8 of the crank-pin I and passing through the middle of said crank-pin. The axes of these cylinders I to 4 are parallel. The lines which are located in a plane perpendicular to these axes and which connect th points of inter; section of this plane and of these axes form a square, as moreover is clearly shown in Figure 2. However, there is nothing to prevent these lines from being given the shape of a rectangle. In each or" the cylinders l to 4 there is provided a piston 8 which performs a reciprocating movement. The pistons 3 situated in the cylinders l and d are connected to the ends of the connecting rods 9, while the pistons 8 situated in the cylinders 2 and 3 are connected to the ends of the connecting rods Ml. Bent levers H and I2 are located on each side of the cylinders and have axes l3 and I i respectively moving in bearings 26 which are fixed in relation to the aforesaid cylinders. Each of the bent levers II and I2 comprises one first arm 24 and 25 directed downwardly and two second arms l5 and it (Figure 3), the ends l! and I8 of which are hinged to the connecting rods 9 and It; i. e. the arms I5 are connected to the connecting rods 9, while the arms it are connected to the connecting rods 10. The arms i5 and 16 are directed towards the cylinders and occupy a position substantially perpendicular to the axes of the cylinders when the pistons are located half-way along their strok in the cylinders. These first ends of the arms 26 and 25 of the bent levers H and H! are connected, through the medium of different members described hereinbelow, to the crank-pin i of the crankshaft I9. This crankpin l is the only crank-pin on the crankshaft i9; it is surrounded by a member 20 which is rotatably mounted on said crankpin and hingedly connected to the ends of two members 2! and 22, respectively, the other ends of which are hinged to the lower ends of arms 24 and 25. Third arms forming upwardly directed extensions of the first arms 2d and 25, are located on the other side of the axes I3 and I4. lhe upper ends of these third arms are interconnected by a link member 23 which is hinged to these ends of said extensions.

It is easily understood from the foregoing that the pistons 8 of the cylinders I and 4 perform the same movement; it is moreover the same as regards the pistons 8 of the cylinders 2 and 3. A rising movement of the pistons in the cylinders l and G will nevertheless always be accompanied by a descending movement of the pistons in the cylinders 2 and 3. A rising movement of the pistons in the cylinders 2 and 3 will in turn be accompanied by a descending movement of the pistons in the cylinders I and 4. This results more particularly from the fact that the bent levers I l and I2 always move in the same direction and that their arms 24 and 25 always remain parallel. The opposite movement of the pistons 2 and 3 arises from the fact that the arms i5 and I6 are directed in opposite directions. The member 23 ensures parallelism of the arms 24 and 25 and has the crTect that the movement of one of the bent levers necessarily, even without the intervention of the crankshaft, entails the movement of the other, consequently has the eiiect that the movement of one piston necessarily entails the movement of the three other pistons, which promotes the good functioning of the machine according to the present invention.

The members 29 to 22 have been provided to permit the rotation of the crankshaft is, i. e. the member 28 comprises two extensions opposite one another which are the connecting links respectively hinged to the members 25 and 22. Such link or lever system is necessary, because the members 2i and 22 cannot be connected direct to the crankshaft I, in view of the fact that the distance between the ends of the arms and 25 r mains constant because of the element In fact, it can easily be understood that the ends of the arms 2 and 25 perform equal movements on equal axes. If the members 25 and 22 were connected directly to the crank-pin l, the 6 of the latter would have a movement similar to that of the ends of the arms 2&- and 25. Now, the axis *3 of the crank-pin i must describe a circle around the geometrical axis 21 of the crankshaft I9. It is obvious that the movement of the I5 is essentially a function of the movements of the ends of the arms 2 and 25, of the distance between the axes 6 and El, and of the length of the members 28, '3. i, For the machine illustrated in 1 and 5, these movements, distance, and lengths are such that if the crankshaft turns in the direction indicated by the arrow 23, the pistons are not situated halfway along their stroke when the plane formed by the axes 5 and 22 is parallel to the axes of the cylinders I and l, and are not located at their dead centre when the plane G2'l is perpendicular to the plane of the axes of the cy nders I and 4;. This displacement between the limit positions (highest and lowest positions, positions most to the left and most to the right) of the crank-pin '5', on the one hand, and the highest, lowest, and midway positions of the pistons 8, on the other hand, entails by no means negligible advantages, such as quicker acceleration and less rapid slowing down of the pistons.

It is to be observed that in the machine according to the present invention, the four pistons 8 have always the same acceleration or the same deceleration, which indisputably constitutes a remarkable advantage in relation to known ma- 4 chines of the same type, which generally have connecting rods and cranks.

In relation to machines having connecting rods and cranks, the machine according to the present invention has the advantage that the pistons are subjected to smaller lateral thrusts, as the result of lesser obliquity of the connecting rods.

By way of example it is to be noted that if the machine according to the present invention constitutcs a four-stroke engine having four cylinders, the firing order will preferably be as follows: firing in cylinders I, 2, 4, 3, I, 2, 4, 3, and

so on.

The arms 24 and 25 of the bent levers II and I2 may have a certain elasticity without giving rise to harmful oscillations.

The machine may furthermore have spiral springs fixed by one end to the ends of the axes I3 and I l, and by the other end to joints which are fixed in relation to the cylinders I to 4. These spiral springs, which have not been illustrated, must be so placed as to be slack when the pistons are at the upper dead centres and under tension when the pistons are at the bottom dead centres. The springs therefore act as return springs. These springs have essentially the object of supplementing the influence of the elasticity of the arms 2d and 25. The elasticity of the arms 2d and 25 offers many advantages. Amongst these 'antages the following particularly merits attention:

i re volume of the combustion chamber has automatically become variable. This volume before firing, and to diminish proporto the speed of rotation of the crankshaft. This latter tendency arises more particularly from the fact that the four pistons, which are rendered solid with one another, more particularly by the axes l3 and id and by the member 23, have a certain inertia.

It is to be observed that the forces of inertia of the members which move in the machine according to the invention constitute essentially two couples acting in contrary directions.

The iirst couple arises from the ascending and descending movement 01" the pistons. while the second couple arises from the movement of the bent armsand from the members 28, 2|, and 22.

The machine according to the present invention may be constructed in all cases where a machine has at least two cylinders, pistons which perform a reciprocating movement in cylinders, and trans mission means.

The embodiment described hereinabove relates to an engine having four cylinders. It is nevertheless clearly understood that a plurality of series at four cylinders may be provided, or use may even be made of an engine or a compressor which compreses one or more series of two cylinders. When the machine comprises only two cylinders, the latter are disposed like the cylinders I and 2 in Figures 1, 2 and 5. It is quite understood that, in this case, each of the bent levers I I and I2 has only a single arm l5 and E6 respectively, directed towards the cylinders. The other details of the machine illustrated may remain unchanged.

It is finally obvious that the invention is not in any way limited to the embodiments described hereinabove, and that many modifications may be made thereto, particularly as regards the shape,

constitution, number, and arrangement of the members participating in its execution, without departing from the scope of the present application for patent.

I claim:

1. A device comprising four cylinders, the axes of which are substantially parallel and the heads of which are substantially at the same height on said axes, four pistons in said cylinders, four connecting rods, two bent levers the fulcra of which are located in the bends proper and are in fixed relation to said cylinders, each of said bent levers ending on one side in a first arm and on the other side in two second arms, the latter being directed towards said cylinders and occupying positions substantially perpendicular to the axes of said cylinders when said pistons are halfway along their strokes in said cylinders, said connecting rods each being connected by one end to one of said pistons and by the other end to one of said seconds arms, a crankshaft mounted rotary with respect to said cylinders, two members hinged each at one end to one of said first arms and at the other end being operatively connected to said crankshaft in order to efiect rotation of said levers, and a link member operatively interconnecting said third arms of said bent levers to secure coordinated movements thereof.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein a crankpin is operatively connected to said crankshaft and wherein a member rotatably mounted on said crankpin and having two extensions opposite one another is provided as an operative connecting link between said crankshaft and said other ends of said two hinged members, each of which being hinged to one of said extensions.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said link member interconnecting said third arms is arranged on the opposite side of the bend in relation to the ends of said first arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,612,917 Grimes Jan. 4, 1927 2,067,049 Goldberg Jan. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 617,367 France Feb. 18, 1927 

